This morning in Children's ministry we talked about how God often works good things out of bad. For the last three weeks, we have been looking at the life of Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, from the book of Genesis. And as promised, over the past two weeks, we have seen Joseph thrown into a pit, sold into slavery by his brothers, and thrown into jail for a crime he didn't commit. I would characterize those things as bad. And this week, we looked at the events of Genesis Chapters 42-46, where all of Joseph's suffering and difficulty brings him to the opportunity to literally save the lives of his brothers who harmed him. Our Christ connection this week is so perfect in light of our Advent season. Like Joseph, Jesus endured suffering, even to the point of his own death, and all for the purpose of redeeming our lives - this is the ultimate picture of God using bad circumstances for His good.
Starter questions:
Elementary
- How do you think Joseph felt when he saw his brothers in front of him asking for food?
- Can you think of any bad situations/circumstances that God has used for good in your life? Could God still have plans to bring good from bad circumstances in your future?
- Why do you think God does not always work in exactly the way we want him to work?
Preschool
- When Joseph saw his brothers, who hurt him, standing in front of him begging, how do you think he felt? Mad? Sad? Grateful? Confused?
- Would you want to help people who hurt you? How can you learn to be forgiving like Joseph?